A/B Machines Adapted from the work of Andy Warhol,
Created and Directed by Philip Gates
Ryan served as the dramaturg on a new production of A/B MACHINES, which premiered at FringeArts Philadelphia in September 2020. Conceived in order to take place with the restrictions of COVID-19, the production was re-conceived to take place entirely online, streamed to an audience who could directly interact with the Superstars utilizing a production-specific online platform. Ryan's work was primarily on script dramaturgy, working with Philip to cut the script down to one hour and adjusting the text to reflect the times and make sense to be performed virtually. He also assisted in the design process, making sure that the visual meanings the team developed were ideally reflected online, and how to adjust meaning and performance given the new cast of nightlife performers.
Production Team
Director: Wesleigh Gates
Dramaturg: Ryan Dumas
Media Designer: Sean B. Leo
User Experience Engineer: Giada Sun
Scenic Designer: Katy Fetrow
Sound Designer: William Lowe
Clothing Consultant: Lindsay Tejan
Lighting Consultant: Ying Huo
Cast
MARILYN: VinChelle
JACKIE: Eric Jaffe
LIZ: Ae Andreas / God Gomplex
Production Team
Director: Wesleigh Gates
Dramaturg: Ryan Dumas
Media Designer: Sean B. Leo
User Experience Engineer: Giada Sun
Scenic Designer: Katy Fetrow
Sound Designer: William Lowe
Clothing Consultant: Lindsay Tejan
Lighting Consultant: Ying Huo
Cast
MARILYN: VinChelle
JACKIE: Eric Jaffe
LIZ: Ae Andreas / God Gomplex
Marketing Blurb
Ryan assisted Wesleigh with writing the marketing blurb for the FringeArts run of A/B Machines. The final product is below.:
“'I think everybody should be a machine.' — Andy Warhol
Featuring queer nightlife superstars Eric Jaffe (Philadelphia’s Drag Queen of the Year 2018), God Complex (Brooklyn’s Drag King of the Year 2019) and VinChelle (Philadelphia’s Drag Queen of the Year 2017), A/B Machines is a contemporary riff on the work of Andy Warhol. Broadcasting live from home, three entertainers (codenames Marilyn, Jackie, and Liz) jockey for status and grapple with mortality as they put on the perfect face for their public. Combining bathroom drag numbers, Warholian repartee, and the aesthetics of contemporary digital platforms, A/B Machines explores how we manufacture our own image — and the vulnerabilities those images are designed to hide."
“'I think everybody should be a machine.' — Andy Warhol
Featuring queer nightlife superstars Eric Jaffe (Philadelphia’s Drag Queen of the Year 2018), God Complex (Brooklyn’s Drag King of the Year 2019) and VinChelle (Philadelphia’s Drag Queen of the Year 2017), A/B Machines is a contemporary riff on the work of Andy Warhol. Broadcasting live from home, three entertainers (codenames Marilyn, Jackie, and Liz) jockey for status and grapple with mortality as they put on the perfect face for their public. Combining bathroom drag numbers, Warholian repartee, and the aesthetics of contemporary digital platforms, A/B Machines explores how we manufacture our own image — and the vulnerabilities those images are designed to hide."
Production Stills
All photos are screenshots of recording captured by production team.